One Sketchbook, to Rule Them All…

I can confidently say this is the most important tool in my possession, also the most cherished. Sketching and drawing are what got me into making and I’ve loved this initial part of creating stuff all along.

Getting whatever is stuck inside your head is the first step to getting anything done.

So with more than 40 years of sketching, you'd think I'd come up with a great solution…

And I have!

The system
I’ve made this one a 3 section sketchbook. By folding an A4 paper in two I get an A5 sketchbook.
Section one is always blank pages.
Section 2 is a mix but mostly storyboard templates and then there is a list section (the 3rd) in the back.

This way I can refill when I run out of a section, mainly the blank pages. And nowhere in the world is white A4 paper hard to find:-)

Tough leather (your preferred sketchbook size)

Elastic thread (1mm)

Pushbuttons

Tools:

Exacto knife / Hole puncher / Leather needle / Hammer / Metal ruler…

It's always fun to revisit the sketches I make when the project is finished. Sometimes it's a match other times I'm not sure if they are the same idea:-D

From my portable Soup Kitchen & SpaceDog project:

https://www.instructables.com/Tiny-Soup-Kitchen

https://www.instructables.com/The-Dog-Has-Landed

Through the years I've tried a bunch of different sketchbook alternatives. I want it to be simple and never run out…

To test this sketchbook idea I took an old book cover and made a 3 section elastic band holder. This way I could bring with me this test book and see if it was useful and better than my earlier sketchbooks.

I really liked it and for a long while this prototype filled its purpose perfectly, but all good things must come to an end and finally, the covers started to fall apart.

But I had proven the concept and now I could make Sketchbook 2.0!

This is how much I love my sketchbook! Since I always carry it around I thought it would be fun to make a Peaky Blinders inspired shoulder holster for my sketchbook, you can see the whole build here:

https://www.instructables.com/Sketchbook-Shoulder-Holster

I've based my cover on a size I really enjoy, A5! The important part is making sure the paper is protected and well within the cover itself. So if you have a different size you like, please share your measurements. The tricky part is the paper holder. You need to make sure the paper fits within the elastic band. Of course, its useful to always have the desired paper size at hand so you can check twice if all is good before sewing and cutting.

So the first part was shaping the cover, I wanted it to have a sturdy form and the spine was pressed to fit my desired size of paper. The jig I made for this part is pretty simple, make sure the wood parts fit and when adding the leather you need force to make it fit, I used a couple of clamps.

I only soaked the middle and left it over night. The result is good for this use and the cover now has a very distinct back. ready to move on to the next part!

This is the essential point of this sketchbook design. The spine has a piece of leather the width of the paper needed to fill the book. I've made 3 sections because I want the possibility of changing the contents without taking everything out.

Also, this solution makes it very easy to always have a part of my sketchbook dedicated to my favorite page layout, blank pages!

In the prototype, I used a plastic strip to hold the elastic band, but for the final version, I wanted the full leather experience. So I put two push buttons at each end to hold the binding mechanism.

For storage of found stuff, paper, postcards, stickers, etc, I made a corner pouch.

I also made the corners of the book rounded.

This was of course totally unnecessary, but hey that's why I love to make stuff:-)

Here you have a selection of templates I use for my sketchbook

Blank

Lines

List

Dots

Storyboard

Thumbnails

IsoMetric

Squares

ToDo

To me sketching is everything in the creative process, without it, I just drift and have no goal. So to make my point clear I've taken "Skate or die" ethos and made my own ethos, "Sketch or die".

With a 3d printer at hand, I wasn't hard to beg for an embossing tool to mark the front of the cover:-)
I soaked the front area and left the embossing tool overnight.

Yeayh! Very happy with the result!!!

When I meet aspiring makers and students I tell them getting a sketchbook will lead to a long and creative life. I've given several talks with the first slid proclaiming Sketch or Die! I bring my sketchbook everywhere and I really think this one I'll bring to the grave:-)

Oh, my lovely Sketchbook may your pages be filled with fantastic ideas…

PS I always add a first page where I explain how important this book is to me and if found a reward will be handed out. Also, a great tip I got from @garethbranwyn is really helpful when sketching on many projects, write your projects on the front and then on the page where a sketch is related to a specific project, make a marking at the page edge in height with the project name.

Want to see more projects like this, please follow along over at my Instagram: @smogdog